The West News (West, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 26, 1999 Page: 1 of 10
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The oldest business in West - established in 1889
500
Volume 109, No. 34 - One Section
Thursday, August 26,1999
West, Texas
News Digest
Dudik Benefit planned in Penelope
A benefit dinner and auction to aid a Penelope area couple is
planned for this Sunday at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary Catholic Church parish hall in Penelope. The dinner,
which is to consist of barbecue, sausage, parsley potatoes, corn,
slaw, beans, bread, dessert and a beverage, is to begin at 11:30
a.m. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. The benefit
is being conducted to help defray the medic'1! expenses incurred
by Sue and Charlie Dudik. Sue is receiving treatments for cancer
and Charlie has Multiple Sclerosis. An auction is set to begin at
12:30 p.m. with a silent auction also scheduled.
Red Cross Drive set for today in West
Chairman A1 Marchak of the West Kiwanis Club has scheduled
an American Red Cross Blood Drive from 2-7 p.m. today (Thurs
day) in the West Community Center. All donors are to receive a
free "Gave Blood" t-shirt and a chance to win American Airlines
tickets. To donate, a person must be at least 17 years old, weigh
at least 110 pounds and be in good health. For those short on
time, donations may be expedited by calling Ray Holasek (826-
4116) for an appointment.
Westfest Parade entry forms available
Area youngsters wishing to enter the decorated bicycle portion
of the Westfest Parade can pick up their entry forms at the West
Elementary School or St. Mary's School. Completed forms can be
returned to the Old Corner Drug Store in West.
West church plans Friday fish dinner
The Bold Springs Baptist Church in West is planning a fish
dinner starting at 11 a.m. this Friday in the church’s cafeteria.
For orders to go, call 826-3225.
St. Charles KJT Social Dinner
St. Charles KJT 107 in Abbott will have its annual family dinner
and social this Friday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic
Church parish hall in Abbott. The social begins at 6 p. m. with the
dinner and program set for 7 p.m. Membership awards are to be
presented and State KJT President Elo Georig is to be present
and the church's new pastor Father Ron is to be introduced.
Number changes for marquee notices
Anyone wishing to have a notice placed on the marquee at West
City Hall is asked to contact Kim Bartosh of the West Chamber
of Commerce at 826-3188.
VFW, Ladies Auxiliary to sell barbecue
West VFW Post 4819 and its Ladies Auxiliary will be selling
barbecue sandwiches and have a bake sale following the Westfest
Parade on Sept. 4 in the West VFW Club. Ladies Auxiliary
members are asked to bring a cake or other pastries before the
parade. Help for the sale is also needed and the public is invited
to attend. The Ladies Auxiliary is also selling raffle tickets for
West VFW's Family Day planned for Oct. 2 at the club. Any
questions concerning this raffle, contact Mary Frances Klaus at
822-1851 or Lucille Uptmore at 826-5748.
Heritage Society to sponsor float
The McLennan-Hill Chapter of the Czech Heritage Society of
Texas is sponsoring a float in this year's annual Westfest
Parade. Members, who wish to help build the float, are asked to
meet at the home of Ernest (Bobo) Jaska at 10 a.m. this Sunday.
He lives about 100 yards north of the West Pallet Co. on the West
side of 1-35 (between Marable Street and the County Line). For
more information about this project, contact Jaska at 826-7191
or Evelyn Skopik at 772-2424.
Girl Scouts Roundup set for Friday
The West Girl Scouts have scheduled a rally, for girls from
kindergarten through the 12th grade, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. this
Friday in the West Community Center. Any girl interested is
asked to contact Mary Ann Johnson at 826-4108 or the Bluebon-
net Council office at 756-4497.
Gholson VFD plans fish fry
The Gholson Volunteer Fire Department is planning a fish fry
starting at 5 p.m. Sept. 11 at the first department. There will be
fish, hushpuppies, fries, cole slaw, coffee and tea and the price
for the meal is by donation only.
"Blinker" to return to Brethren Church
Blinker, the puppet who visited West Brethren Church's Vaca-
tion Bible School, is making a special appearance this Sunday
during the morning service. All children who would like to see
Blinker again are invited to attend and stay for a hot dog lunch.
The service begins at 10:15 a.m.
Band Boosters to meet Sept. 7
The West Band Booster Club has scheduled their next meeting
for Sept. 7 instead of Sept. 14 because of open house at the high
school on Sept. 14. The calendar for the new year, fund-raiser
results and budget committees will be discussed. There will also
be decisions made on future fund-raisers.
Baylor player coming to West church
Drew Harding, a defensive back for the Baylor Bears football
team will be at the West Brethren Church on Sunday during the
morning worship service to give a testimony of what God has
done in his life. Drew is a junior at Baylor and is on the Athletic
Director's honor roll.
West Accordion group to meet
The West Accordion Association is changing its meeting dates
from the fourth Tuesday of each month to the fourth Thursday.
Starting today (Thursday), the meetings are to be in the West
VFW Club. A work meeting is set for this Friday at the Alphonse
Urbanovsky home. Details and playing schedules for Westfest
and the parade are to be worked out at this meeting. For more
information, contact Ed Brem at 662-2295 or John Sulak at 826-
4534.
Final preparations undenvay..,
1999 Westfest featuring numerous activities
The countdown is beginning
for the annual Czech festival in
the city as area residents make
final preparations for the 24th
Annual Westfest celebration be-
ginning Sept. 3 and continuing
through Sept. 5 at the West Fair
and Rodeo grounds.
As in past years, this year's
festival begins with the Westfest
Preview Party at 6:30 p.m. Sept.
3 with the gates opening at 6
p.m. Admission price for this
event is $7 for adults and $3 for
children ages 6-12. Children six
and under are admitted free.
Corby LaCroix and his band
Cuttin' Loose will start the fes-
tivities with country music un-
der the East Tent at Westfest.
At 7:30 p.m., eight area girls
will compete for the coveted Miss
Westfest title which is currently
held by Angela Grizzle. Follow-
ing the crowning of the new Miss
Westfest, LaCroix and band will
continue to perform until ap-
proximately 10 p.m. when the
featured entertainers, Epic re-
cording artists The Kinleys, are
scheduled to take the stage. Twin
sisters Heather and Jennifer
Kinley are to sing some of their
latest country music recordings
until midnight.
Friday's Preview Party also
offers a good value for children
as children will be able to ride all
the rides in the children's section
from 7-11 p.m. at a discounted
price of $10. There are sched-
uled to be several new rides in
this area. This $10 charge does
not include the price of admis-
sion.
For the first time, a few of the
booths in the game area are also
scheduled to be open during
Friday's Preview Party.
The Westfest Parade starts
the activities the following day
at 10 a.m. This colorful event
annually winds through the
city's downtown area.
The activities then go back at
the festival grounds with the
gates opening at 11 am. and clos-
ing at 12:30 a.m. both days. The
admission price is $5 for adults
each day and $2 for children
ages 6-12. Children under the
age of six are admitted free when
accompanied by an adult.
Inside the festival grounds,
non-stop entertainment flows
from the Cultural Amphitheater
area. Saturday's entertainment
is from 12:30 - 6 p.m. and on
Sunday the singing and dancing
continues during the same
hours.
Food booths serving savory
ethnic foods will line the
festival's midway area giving
festival visitors plenty to eat on
both Westfest Saturday and
Westfest Sunday with many
open during the festival's pre-
view party .
Polka music is plentiful under
both the festival's East and West
tents. This music starts at noon
both days and continues through
midnight.
For the many Brave Combo
followers at Westfest, there will
be a slight change in their perfor-
mance times on Sept. 4 and 5.
The nuclear polka band is to be in
its normal time slot from 4-8 p.m.
on Westfest Saturday under the
west dance tent on the festival
grounds, however on Sunday
there will be a time and location
change.
In conjunction with Brave
Combo's 20th Anniversary, they
will perform from 8 p.m. to mid-
night under the east tent at
Westfest. During this time, both
current and past members of the
group will perform and reminisce
over the band's last 20 years.
Over 90 arts and crafts booths
will be on display and there will
also be a children's area with
rides and games.
A Taroky Tournament is
scheduled for the tenth consecu-
tive year at the festival on Sept.
4 in the West Community Center
near the festival grounds.
The entry fee is $17.50 per
person with registration from 8-
8:45 a.m. with the tourney begin-
ning at 9 a.m. This tourney is
open to all interested players, 18
The Kinleys are this year's featured entertainers at
Westfest's Friday Night Preview Party on Sept. 3.
years of age or older.
Kolaches and coffee are to be
served during registration and
lunch is included in the registra-
tion fee. Trophies and cash prizes
are to be awarded to the top four
players and play is to continue
for all players throughout the
Please turn to page two for more
on Westfest 1999.
West High School grads making reunion plans
West High School's Homecom-
ing is less than a month away
and several graduating classes
have announced plans for class
reunions either prior to the an-
nual event or in conjunction with
it.
The 1949 West High School
graduating class has scheduled
its 50th anniversary reunion on
Sept. 4, immediately following
the 10:30 a.m. Westfest Parade,
at the West VFW Post.
All former students, who be-
gan West High School in 1945
are urged to attend the reunion.
The graduating classes of 1948
and 1950 along with other former
students and teachers are wel-
come to attend. Food and bever-
ages are to be available.
Forfurtherinformationonthis
reunion, call Stacie Bacak
Roessler, 772-0598, Merle
Lightfoot Kitchens, 754-2837 or
Robert W. Zahirniak, 826-3621.
The 1959 WHS grads have also
scheduled their reunion in con-
junction with Westfest. The class
is planning its 40th reunion for 2
p.m. Sept. 4 at St. Joseph's Hall
Anyone, especially former
teachers, wishing to visit and
reminisce with the classmates is
invited to attend. The classmates,
who have registered to attend,
are asked to bring a memnto
from their high school years to
the reunion. The one with the
best remembrance is to be
awarded a prize. For further in-
formation, call Jeanette Colley
at 826-5155.
The 1969 West grads are mak-
ing preparations for their 30th
Class reunion and are looking
for the following classmates:
Pauline Tobola, Becky
Wiedemann, Janell Matus,
Evelyn Culp, Debbie (Ree) Britt,
Sandy Evans, Anthony Henning,
Vivian Holder, Karen Howard
and Connie Bradbury.
Anyone with information on
any of the above classmates is
asked to contact one of the fol-
lowing reunion directors: Larry
Scott, 817-281-2749, Henry
Kapavik, 254-826-3080 or Ronnie
Lucien, 254-822-1742.
The 1974 West grads had a
meeting on Aug. 25 at 1501 N.
Reagan Street to plan their 25th
Class Reunion. For further in-
formation, phone 826-5846.
The 1979 West High School
graduating class is currently
looking for information on the
following classmates: Suzanne
(Gerik) Radford, Paula Gill,
Lionel Harris, Albert Hegar, Jeff
Martin, Sylvia Reyes, Howard
Sullivan and JeffUrban.
Anyone with information on
these 1979 grads is asked to con-
tact Mike Morrison at 826-3912.
The 1980 West grads are get-
tingajump on their reunion plan-
ning as they have scheduled a
meeting at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 4
(following the Westfest Parade)
at West City Hall to discuss their
Y2K reunion plans. All class
members are invited to attend.
West school board approves new budget for district
The West Independent School
board of trustees approved the
1999-2000 budget and tentatively
agreed on the tax rate at its regu-
lar monthly meeting on August
18 in the West ISD Administra-
tion building.
In essence, West ISD Busi-
ness Manager John Sulak said
the newly approved budget for
the 1999-2000 school year is bal-
anced at an estimated $10.5 mil-
lion.
In order to raise the necessary
funds for this budget, the district's
business manager said the school
board plans to leave the property
tax rate at its current $1.50 per
$100 valuation rate. The rate is
expected to be approved after
Sept. 1.
Paul Svacek of Huckabee &
Associates, a architect for the
school district's new high school
facility, met with the school board
concerning construction at the
facility.
During this portion of the
meeting, the trustees voted to
award a contract to CSS Incorpo-
rated for road projects around
the new school. The Gatesville
business had a low bid of
$141,734.00. The contract in-
cludes widening Jerry Mashek
Drive and also building a road
along the side of the new school
to ease possible traffic conges-
tion in this area. School buses
would be able to make a loop
when dropping and picking up
kids.
A road is also to be constructed
next to Pustejovsky Lane along
with an additional parking lot.
The board then heard a re-
quest from West band director,
Tommy Ray, to amend the band
Please turn to page two for more
on school board.
Czech students visit West during Texas stay
For almost, two months, Cen-
tral Texas served as a home and
learning ground for two, 25-year-
old Czech Republic men study-
ing to become Catholic priests.
Martin Vareka ofTasov (near
Brno) and Ladislav Kune of
Olomouc were in West the final
two weeks of the Texas stay which
ended last Friday with their flight
back to their homeland. "They
are here to give them an opportu-
nity to practice their English,"
said Abbott resident Alden Smith,
who accompanied the two last
Thursday in West.
The two spent their first five
weeks in Temple and the rest of
their time was in West. As they
prepared to head back to Czech
Republic, Martin and Ladislav
discussed some of their impres-
sions of the various places they
had visited during their Texas
stay.
On West, Martin said he en-
joyed seeing his first rodeo as
they were at both Thursday's and
Friday's performances of the
West Rodeo. "We were also very
impressed with the number of
Czechs in the area and the num-
ber who could speak Czech. The
people were just so very nice to
us.
Ladislav was fascinated by the
cotton in the area's countryside
and enjoyed visiting with the
various people.
As deacons in the Catholic
Church, the two young men sym-
bolize a resurgence of the church
in their country following the
ousting of the Communist gov-
ernment during the Velvet Revo-
lution in 1989.
Before the revolution, the two
Czechs said there was only one
seminary in the Czech Republic
and only 60 or 70 seminarians.
As the Catholic priests in the
country continue to age, many
are reaching 85 years of age and
have three or four churches un-
der their wing.
"Many men were not allowed
by the government to study to be
priests," Vareka said of his coun-
try. "Many priests were in prison
and some died."
Those years under communist
rule have been called "the lost
generation of the Czech Church,"
said Smith, a professor at Hill
College in Hillsboro. "Archbishop
Varek told me once that the Czech
Church was kept alive "by the
grandmothers and their contri-
butions of one crown a week to
the church."
Now the Czech Republic is see-
ing an increase in young men
studying for the priesthood as
there are currently 56 in the
Prague seminary and 130 in the
Olomouc seminary.
Outside of Russia, the Czech
Catholic Church was among the
most persecuted in Eastern Eu-
rope, but "now we have normal
freedom for the church," they
said.
The two deacons are sched-
uled to be ordained on June 24,
2000, and in the meantime they
will continue the work in the
church. Vareka is to teach in a
convent for young men while
Kune will work as a deacon at a
church in the Czech Republic.
The two seminarians' visit to
the area was sponsored by Fa-
ther Steve Nsersta in Temple,’
Father Ed Karasek of West, the
Czech Moravian Cultural Soci-
ety of Texas, Texas District of
National Alliance of Czech Catho-
lics, St. Charles KJT Society 107
in Abbott, St. Vaclav Knights of
Columbus Council 11230 of
Abbott and Larry Tichavsky of
Phoenix, Arizona.
Czech Republic residents Martin Vareka and Ladislav Kune
were recent guests of St. Mary's Catholic Church of the
Assumption in West during their stay in the city. The two are
studying to be priests.
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Knapek, Larry. The West News (West, Tex.), Vol. 109, No. 34, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 26, 1999, newspaper, August 26, 1999; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth715695/m1/1/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting West Public Library.